NwVacationSpots.com
Featuring Quality Vacation Rental Homes around the Northwest
Plus Favorite Northwest Destinations
Featuring Quality Vacation Rental Homes around the Northwest
Plus Favorite Northwest Destinations
| DECEPTION PASS Sunday, April 26, 2009 Deception Pass is a pass between two islands - Fidalgo and Whidbey - rather than two mountain peaks. It was named by British explorer, Captain Vancouver, who thought he was sailing along a peninsula when he discovered this deceptive passage between the two islands. We visited here on a Sunday afternoon during the busy Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. After touring the tulip fields in the morning we escaped the area to see this nearby sight. The first thing that attracts you is the bridge spanning Fidalgo and Whidbey islands with its magnificent views east and west. To the west you are looking towards the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the southern San Juan islands. To the east you can see the distant Cascade mountains on a clear day. Small islands dot the waterways of the pass. You can see even from high up on the bridge how the water churns violently as the tide passes in and out. The bridge has been made safe for pedestrians in recent years. When I was a kid, people would dart from one side of the bridge to the other, dodging the heavy traffic. Now the walkways are protected by a barrier and stairs have been provided at both ends of the bridge to pass safely from one side to the other. There are several hikes in the area. From the bridge we could see a tempting beach below us (far below), but we opted for the Goose Summit trail. This is a half mile walk uphill through a pretty forest of Douglas fir. At the summit you come out to a site of meadow and bald rock that gives a stunning view to the west. Here you can see south down Whidbey island for a long way to the Ebey Fort state park area. Beyond that you have a wider view than from the bridge of Admiralty Inlet, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the San Juans, and Vancouver Island. We sat sunning ourselves on the rocks for a long time, resting from the hike and admiring the view. Deception Pass State Park Photo Album by Bob Kelly http://www.BobsPacificBeachHouse.com |
 | |  | |  | |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
